This Instagram Perfect Turquoise Lake In Siberia Is Actually Full Of Toxic Waste

Darwin would have a few things to say.

A lake in Siberia has become a popular site for Instagram-worthy snaps, but the owner has issued a warning that it’s not the “Mauritius of the north” as local signs suggest. It’s actually a chemical dump.

In a public post, the Siberian Generating Company acknowledged the turquoise body of water next to the Novosibirsk CHP-5 coal plant has become a “star of social networks”, but said it was not a lake for swimming.

The dump is not “poisonous”, the company said, reportedly evident because the plants do not die there. But it’s “highly alkaline”, which can cause problems for people who come into contact with it.